


⚘ KIᒪᒪEᖇ'ᔕ GᗩᖇᗪEᑎ ⚘ (Killer x Reader)

by xCaptainHowdy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Bad Boys, Cemetery, Creepy, F/M, Flowers, One Piece - Freeform, Paranoia, Roommates, Stalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:21:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29130978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xCaptainHowdy/pseuds/xCaptainHowdy
Summary: ˚⁀➷⚘ c. 1990(Y/N) worked in Poblenou's cemetery. A mysterious man moves into the city and, in no time, the neighbours start spreading rumours about him since he looks dangerous and scary like a criminal.However, (Y/N) realizes he is not as tough as they make him seem and she decided to prove them wrong.Because you can't judge a book by its cover... right?
Relationships: Killer (One Piece) & Reader, Killer (One Piece)/Reader
Comments: 18
Kudos: 29





	1. I · The Gravedigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where MC worries about money and overhears they're going to have a new neighbour

"Goddammit. And it's not even the end of the month yet...", (Y/N) closed her almost empty wallet, "I hope somebody answers the advertisement soon..."

(Y/N) got out of home to go to work, walking past a streetlight with a paper that had written the following letters on it: **"Looking for a housemate"** , and a phone number. She walked past the plaça de Prim, and thought about how lucky she was, living fifteen minutes away of her home. She did that every day for two years. Be grateful for the small things, they say.

(Y/N) took it quite literally, especially working in a place like a cemetery. It was a matter of time, if you worked there, to start questioning things about life and death.

" _Bon dia*_ ". She greeted a couple of old ladies that chatted in front of the cemetery door with their grocery carts weekly. The ladies greeted her back, returning their attention to the gossiping.

"Did you know? A new boy has moved here, Mari told me; she saw it from her hair salon. Of course, she can see the flower shop from there, so she gets to know everything first". The lady lowered her voice in a confidential tone.

"Oh, yes, yes, and have you seen his looks? He must be a troublemaker". The other lady replied.

(Y/N) decided to ignore the gossiping and critiques of those ladies. She didn't have anything against them, but she knew those type of people. Even she had been a victim of rumours and critiques a year back. She still remembered listening to them while she watered the flowers, as they thought no one was able to hear them:

_"Have you seen that girl? So young and she works in such a creepy place"._

_"And she lives by herself. A woman living alone? No, something can't be right". The white-haired woman shook her head._

_"Only weirdos would work there"._

She pushed away those memories from her mind and got ready to take care of the nearby grass, trees, and plants' maintenance.

" _Bon dia_ , (Y/N)". Marco's voice surprised her.

"Oh, _bon dia_ ". She replied with a smile. Marco was a kind, blond man, already in his forties, that frequently visited his boyfriend's tomb. His name was Ace. Marco and (Y/N) got on well and became friends because the man was very grateful for her taking care of the tombs when no one could pay a visit to them.

"Another workday, huh?". He commented to try and make small talk.

"Yeah", she laughed, "Is the flower shop still closed, by the way?". She remembered the old ladies saying someone new was in the flower shop.

" _Galindaines_? * I didn't enter today, but I saw it was opened. Or so it seemed; the grid was up".

"Gràcies*. I'll go take a look when my turn is over", she smiled at him and waved goodbye.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

(Y/N) decided to start with the maintenance of mister Romeu's niche, the previous florist of the shop Galindaines. He died a few months ago, and his death still affected the girl a bit. She remembered going to his shop to buy flowers when she visited the graveyard with his parents, whenever she had to visit grandparents or friends. When she grew up, she continued the tradition of buying her flowers there. The flower shop brought her many good memories, and she wanted to repay the man by visiting his grave and keeping it in perfect conditions.

People were worried because she went there very often. People thought a lot of her acquaintances died, but that wasn't the case, and she was glad it wasn't. She just went there to buy flowers for the lonely tombs, as she liked to call them. Those graves that didn't have flowers, nor pictures, nor people visiting them. There were many of those.

She entertained herself thinking about the reasons for their solitude. Maybe the dead didn't have any relatives? They didn't love each other? Laziness? Did they live far away?

(Y/N) approached Romeu's niche.

"I should change the flowers...". The petals were withering, as black as ash.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

After a long hard day of work, she stretched her arms and looked at her watch. Five o'clock, time to go back home.

"At least I'm doing exercise...", she got up from the floor with a groan, having stayed too much time crouching down the graves. She always tried to be optimistic. But the growl in her stomach ruined her optimist mood, "I didn't have anything for lunch today...". She whispered while she exited the cemetery.

She thought it would be a good idea to check the flower shop out. If mister Romeu had been alive, he would have invited her to eat a few coffee cookies. But he was gone, and there was nothing she could do. (Y/N) had learnt not to get stuck in the past and not dwell in thought like "What would have happened if...?". They never brought anything good.

She walked past a bakery and her stomach growled. The smell of recently baked pastries made her even hungrier, so she sped up.

"I can't give in into temptation, I don't have money to buy anything extra... Sorry, buddy". She patted her stomach.

She had a decent salary with her job at the cemetery, and if she lacked pesetas*, she also graved gravestones. The cemetery's boss taught her. However, that money was not enough to cover all of her expenses. Especially her house. It had been the house her grandmother left her in her will, and she inherited it, but it was too expensive for her.

That's why she had placed advertisements around the block to find a housemate to share the expenses. But nothing. Not even a single call. (Y/N) hoped she could find someone soon.

The image of the open flower shop after so many months brought her back into reality.

She was almost going to enter the shop when she saw a tall well-built man. He was almost two meters tall, and he was holding some heavy-looking boxes in his arms, putting them down in the back room with a groan.

He had long blond hair. It was the first thing she noticed. If only I had such pretty hair, she thought. He was wearing black boots, loose sweatpants and a sweater that looked a size bigger than the one he should be actually using. Half of his face was covered with a dark blue bandana, leaving his mouth and nose unseen. She could only see his piercing blue eyes when he looked at the door.

(Y/N) stepped back from the entrance and faked she was continuing with her stroll. Great, she had looked like a weirdo. It's not like people in the neighbourhood didn't think so of her already, but... he was the new neighbour! What a first impression. Luckily, he would not remember her face.

She sighed and returned home. She felt a bit bad, but when she saw him she thought he was a man working in the move in. That, or he was stealing. In fact, the first thing she thought was the second option. Yeah, too many judgements. She was a bit creeped out, so she decided to run away and head home.

She would visit him again tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *plaça de Prim = Prim's plaza
> 
> *Bon dia = Good morning
> 
> *Gràcies = Thank you
> 
> *Galindaines = name of the flower shop, meaning of Galindaina: ornament with little value.
> 
> *Pesetas = currency in Spain before the 28th of February of 2002.


	2. II · The New Florist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where MC decides to pay a visit to the new florist

It was a new day. (Y/N) got out of fed, opened the curtains in the window and got ready. She dressed up a bit better than usual, having in mind greeting the new owner of the shop. Maybe she would also apologise to him. "Uhm, hi, sorry for looking like a weird crazy stalker the other day".

Maybe she would change up the words.

" _Bon dia_ ". (Y/N) greeted the old ladies whose only purpose in life was to criticise others.

"I walked past the flower shop the other day", she heard them saying, "Mari was right, he looks like a criminal. This man is not going to bring us anything good, I'm telling you. If things start to get crazy here, we already know whose fault it is". The young girl wanted to get away from the conversation, somewhat bothered.

Okay, yeah, (Y/N) had also felt intimidated the first time he saw him, but still. She had also been criticised for working in such a weird job for a lady, living alone, and other sundry things. It would be hypocritical of her to not admit that. But, in the end, the rich class would always find things in other people to talk about, even if there aren't. What other hobbies would they have, otherwise?

Even so, she wanted to defend the man. She would have also wanted someone to shield her from bad comments back in the day.

"Isn't it too risky to say such things", she interrupted the ladies with a kind voice, not wanting to argue, "I'm sure he's a great neighbour, just give him a chance". She winked cheekily.

"If you say so, sweetie...". The grandma with white hair shook her head.

"I agree with the young lady". A masculine voice sounded right behind (Y/N). She turned around and didn't expect to face the new owner of the flower shop. He was so tall he blocked the sun. (Y/N) smiled at him in surprise, somewhat uncomfortable.

The old ladies were flustered. It was a common thing to meddle in others' business and gossip. It didn't matter if the entire town knew that you did. Even if you criticised someone and people told that person they were being criticised, it wasn't a big deal. It was like a tacit agreement. The embarrassing was, for some reason, when the person you were talking about caught you red-handed.

 _"Speak of the Devil",_ (Y/N) thought.

"Well, I'm heading to work". She smiled as a goodbye and entered the cemetery.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

Today, she had to remove a corpse from its niche, since it had been ten years already and the family hadn't renewed the concession. Therefore, the remains of the dead should be dislodged to transfer them to the ossuary, where bones were buried.

The niche was a bit too high for (Y/N), so she brought her trusty metal ladder and climbed up, wearing her gloves, a neckerchief covering her mouth and nose, and she opened the niche's door.

It was a bit heavy, but she managed to get the rotten wooden casket. She had to be careful since the planks could fall off at any moment, having in mind the conditions the wood was in.

"You need any help?". The blond's voice surprised her. He had his arms crossed, staring at her frame. (Y/N) would have told him to cover his mouth and nose to not inhale dust or anything, but that wasn't necessary. He was wearing the same bandana as yesterday around his face.

"I haven't been doing this job for two years with anyone's help". She smiled cockily behind her own neckerchief. (Y/N) had a lot of virtues, but controlling her pride was not one of them.

"Two years? Aren't you too young?"

"Why, thank you", she joked. She started to place the bones in urns, covering them later with a holy sheet, "I'm 22".

"22", he repeated while nodding, "I'm 25. My name's Killer".

(Y/N) almost burst out laughing.. He was kidding, wasn't he? Killer? Was that a nickname or something?

"Killer", she repeated his name with a nod, just as he did, "My name is (Y/N). I would shake your hand, but... ", she jested, lifting her covered-in-dirt hands that had touched a corpse.

"I don't mind corpses", he shook her hand anyway, "Nor dirt".

"And what are you doing here, wandering around?". She changed the topic.

"I'm the new florist, I just moved into Barcelona. You know the shop, don't you? Galindaines. I thought it would be a good idea to meet my clients", he pointed to the gravestones with his hand. (Y/N) almost laughed at the morbid joke, "Well, not directly, but the flowers are for them in the end".

"Yeah, pretty much". She answered, not being in the mood for small talk. She did so many of those in her job.

"The ladies at the entrance told me you knew the previous owner". (Y/N) lifted her gaze to look at him, now intrigued in the conversation. _Freaking blabbermouths_ , she thought.

"Oh, yeah. He was a family friend". She smiled.

"I thought that maybe you would like to take a look at the flower shop now. Since it seems important to you". He reasoned.

"I would love to", she shrugged and smiled. Even though it was covered by her neckerchief, the blond guy noticed her sparkly eyes when she smiled, "My shift ends at five o'clock, so..."

"I'll be there to go along with you", he blurted out. Damn, he had a deep voice. (Y/N) wouldn't lie; she found it very attractive.

"Uh? You don't have to, really". She tried to reject his offer with a movement of her hand.

"It's no problem at all". He left, having the last word, to keep meeting his clients.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

When (Y/N) finished her shift, she headed for the door, where Killer had been waiting for her. She felt a bit bad, even though he had insisted. She just hoped he wouldn't have stayed in the cemetery all day waiting for her.

Killer did most of the talk until they reached _Galindaines_. (Y/N) tried to keep up with his extroverted rhythm, avoiding awkward silences. She couldn't help but notice people glancing at them. Especially Killer, and you needn't be a genius to know why they were looking.

If someone dressed like that already stood out, imagine someone so muscular, tall and with such long hair. Poor guy, even going to buy some bread must be an odyssey.

(Y/N) smiled when she entered the shop. Everything was as she remembered. There hadn't been much change, except for the placing of shelves, flower pots, plants, and paintings. She also noticed the colour of the walls was different. The used to be light green, but now they were white. If he had taken care of the decoration, he had a good eye.

"It almost didn't change". The young girl walked through the flower hallways.

"I'll take that as a compliment", he jested, and (Y/N) giggled.

"Are you going to change the shop's name?". She was curious as to why the sign displayed the same name.

"No. Actually, I really liked the name. I find it very fitting". He also walked around the shop with his arms crossed.

"So, you said you moved into Barcelona? Where are you from?". Now it was (Y/N)'s turn to ask questions.

"Yeah, I'm from another region: _Alt Pirineu i Aran"._

"Wow, it's kinda far. Do you live near the shop? Your shop". She repeated, remembering that he was now the owner of the establishment. Then, she worried it might have been a too personal question.

Killer laughed.

"Yeah. Actually, I live really close", he emphasized the word really". Upon her confusion, the blond approached the door of the back store, opening it like a show host, "My humble abode". He announced.

(Y/N) peeked over the doorframe and observed the room. It was big enough to fit in a mattress on the floor, and... and nothing more, really. The rest of the room was full of shelves to put whatever was not exposed to the public like extra flower pots, dirtbags, tools, watering cans... Killer kept talking.

"I'm still looking for an apartment". He left the door half-closed, walking to the counter.

He was looking for an apartment? Wait a minute... She was offering an apartment! Even better, a house. Plus, they would share the expense. It must be a better offer for him, instead of having to pay the high rent of a flat in Barcelona all alone.

But she didn't dare to comment anything. (Y/N) was nervous; would it be strange to propose that to a stranger? Well, the person who would answer her ad would be less than an acquaintance than Killer. But even so... It hurt to admit so, but a part of her was still worried he would be a delinquent.

It also looked weird to her than a delinquent would work as a florist, but that was just another prejudice. Bad prejudices, (Y/N), bad.

"Everything alright?". He asked upon her silence.

"Yes", she was brought out of her thought, "I should head back home. Thank you very much for letting me see the shop", she smiled", _Adeu_ *".

" _Adeu_ ", he said goodbye with a small wave. He pulled out an advertisement for someone looking for a housemate and placed it on the counter. It was an advertisement he had ripped off from a streetlight while he walked around the streets to remember the structure of that area, "Hmm..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Adeu = Goodbye, Bye.
> 
> *Alt Pirineu i Aran = another region in Catalonia, north-west.


	3. III · New Housemate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where MC finally gets a housemate

(Y/N) started her day counting the money she had left.

"Thank goodness I still have some rice from yesterday's dinner...". She muttered, placing the coins back into her piggy bank.

Still, a week left for the month to be over, and no one had answered her advertisement. She thought it was weird that no one around would be looking for a flat or a housemate, but she could not blame others for her failed plan. Not yet.

It was Sunday, hence why (Y/N) didn't go to work today.

"I'll go for a walk to clear my head". She wore a light jacket and exited home.

It was a sunny day, and birds were chirping happily. She noticed on a streetlight.

"Oh, for Fuck's sake", she cursed in disbelief, "Of course no one gave me a call". Her paper ad had been ripped off the streetlight, leaving only bits of torn off paper and adhesive tape.

She checked the near streets where she put up more ads, and her suspicions turned out to be true: every single one had been torn off.

"These motherf-...". She bit her lower lip. Probably a bunch of brats were the culprits of that. She sighed, tired. What a nice way to start off your day, in a bad mood.

She went to buy some vegetables in a store with affordable prices, and she met the owner of the bar in front of the flower shop, Paco, and the owner of the hair salon, Mari.

"No joke, he looks like a gangster, for real". The woman spoke.

"I just hope he's not one of those jackasses who puts up fights in bars. If he messes with mine, oh, I'm throwing him out". He laughed.

Were they really talking about the new neighbour? Still? (Y/N) was starting to get exasperated. Couldn't they just go on with their own lives? Yeah, she had also judged him for his appearance at first, but at least she wasn't shouting it from the rooftops. She felt bad for Killer. He had been very kind; he didn't seem like a bad guy, and this is how life was repaying him.

Something inside of her stirred, and she wanted to shut the mouths of everyone who was criticising him. Somehow, even if it sounded selfish, she felt like she would also be getting her revenge for when she had been the victim of rumours.

"They'll see", she thought, "I'm going to prove them wrong; you can't judge a book by its cover".

When she paid for her purchase, she made her choice.

She would go to the flower shop.

Walking hastily, she headed for the street where Galindaines was. From afar, she saw it wasn't open, and she cursed.

"Shit, of course, it's Sunday...". She almost gave up, but she remembered he lived there. If he hadn't gone out, maybe she could find him inside.

(Y/N) approached the half-closed grid. She didn't want to enter without notice. She wasn't going to risk it if the blond guy had a shotgun, or if he would beat the shit out of her, thinking she was a robber. She decided to knock on the door first.

"Hello?". Her voice had been soft. Maybe there was no one inside, and she was behaving like a weirdo in the middle of the street. She waited a few seconds until she heard some steps and the grid lifted up completely.

"Hello?", replied the blond guy as confused as her, "We're closed". He told her as if it was obvious. (Y/N) got slightly flustered.

"I-I know", she smiled awkwardly, "I came to make an offer".

Killer was still wearing his bandana covering his face, but (Y/N) saw how he lifted an eyebrow, and she heard the smile in his voice.

"An offer? I'm interested", he opened the door, "Come in". Killer let the young girl inside, and she glanced at the flowers, not knowing how to start the conversation.

"I have never seen this flower". She bent over the flowerpot that contained red flowers. The shape of the petals reminded her of a bell or a fair dress.

"They're red fuchsias", he explained, "They're easy to identify thanks to their bell-shape. Legends tell that, with these flowers, one could create human or fairies. Do you see it looks like a dress? And these stamens, two legs?". He bent over next to (Y/N) to point to the parts of the flower, and she smiled.

"Yes, it's true".

"It was also believed these flowers were a warning of something". He finished his explanation, and the young gravedigger nodded, interested.

So, he knew what he was talking about, the flower shop was not a façade of some kind. It reminded her of the little anecdotes mister Romeu would narrate to her when she was little.

"Are you still looking for a place to stay?". She changed the subject.

"Yeah, but I think I got a winner". (Y/N) got worried. Had he already chosen an apartment? Was she too late?

"Oh, really?". She said with a higher-pitched-than-normal voice, not able to hide her disappointment.

"Yeah, but I'm still not sure. I have to think it through". The girl took that as a little ray of hope.

"And, what if I tell you that... I have a better offer?". Yolo. It was all or nothing. Killer laughed a bit.

"Sounds interesting", he crossed his arms and leaned his back on the counter, "And what would that offer be?"

"Come to live with me". She blurted out.

They kept quiet for a few seconds.

_Cri cri._

(Y/N) blushed.

"Wait, wait, I didn't express myself correctly!", she cleared her throat, "I'm looking for a housemate", she quickly explained, "I have a house in plaça de Prim. You would only need to pay half of the expenses, so... It would be cheaper than having an apartment on your own". She bit her lips nervously. She hoped she hadn't been too blunt.

"Hmm ", Killer scratched his neck while thinking, "A shared house..."

(Y/N) was staring at him with her cheeks puffed while she unconsciously held her breath, expectantly.

"It sounds good", he continued, "but..."

But? What buts were there? (Y/N) started to tap her boot on the floor. This was her last chance to not have to sell the house. If no one called to share it, she didn't expect anyone to call to buy it.

"I would need my space, my privacy...". He listed out some cons.

"Oh, t-the house is big. Very big. Spacious. Four people would fit in there, and there are enough rooms", she tried to change his mind, "And... I'm a great housemate?". She looked at him, and he laughed.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course!", she felt like a professional house seller. Nothing farther from reality, "You will have all the privacy in the world. I'll be like a ghost, you won't even know I live with you", she smiled to convince him.

"That's my line", he laughed, "Hmm...", he thought again, "Could I see the house? Before deciding". He clarified.

"Sure!". She answered with excitement.

Everything was turning out perfectly.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

"This is the house". (Y/N) unlocked the door and let him in. She was glad she didn't use to have a mess in her home. It would have been awkward. But not more awkward than running away after the new neighbour caught you staring in front of his flower shop. Her brain kept reminding her of the embarrassing scene every day.

"You weren't lying; it's quite big", he walked around the living room, "How many rooms does it have?"

"The kitchen, the living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms", she counted, "One of the bathrooms is inside a dormitory, so you may be interested in installing yourself in that room", she offered, acting as if he had already accepted her offer for staying. Who knows, maybe she would have more of a chance this way. Psychology.

"I like your way of thinking. Can I see it?". He asked, and (Y/N) guided him to the room and finished doing a tour of the entire house.

"I'm glad you came to make me this offer", he said in the end, "I''s much better than my other option. I'll take it", he reached out his hand, "Deal?"

Finally! The words she had been waiting the whole time to hear.

"Deal". She smiled and shook his hand. (Y/N) couldn't help but notice his hands were much bigger than hers. She also focused on his strong grip. How many people had he choked to death with those hands...? No, no, go away, bad thought. The rumours of her neighbours were starting to get in her head.

Now, she could relax. She finally had a housemate! She just hoped the old ladies weren't right and she hadn't let a killer inside her house. Like, a real killer, not Kill- Nevermind. What's with that name, anyway?

"I'm also very grateful for your warm welcoming to the city", Killer interrupted her thoughts, "As you know, not everyone has been as... kind as you". He scratched his nape.

Oh, no, now she felt like shit. His hurt expression made (Y/N) feel guilty.

"R-right, but don't worry! They're old people, they're not used to anything new", she laughed, uncomfortable, "I'm sure they end up treating you better. It took a whole year for them to stop spreading rumours about me, but after they got to know me, they have been really kind". She tried to reassure him.

"You also got called a murderer or a criminal?". He joked.

"Almost", she laughed, "They didn't understand how a woman could live alone and work in a cemetery being so young", she told him in disbelief.

"I admit I was also surprised to see such a young lady working there", he chuckled, "But there's nothing wrong in that. Working there doesn't make you less"

(Y/N) smiled. No one who had just met her had been so kind to her, why would they call him bad names? After talking with him, she even thought it would be more probable than the grandmas in the next block were the ones to attend illegal cockfights at night, and him to be the one staying at home, watching soap operas on TV while knitting.

✿¸.✯══════*'*'✿✯✿*'*'══════✯.¸✿

After the paperwork and assigning the house rules (such as not being nosy at night, always knock before entering a room, tasks...) Killer said goodbye to go to his shop and start packaging up his belongings.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with the move in?". (Y/N) insisted for the fourth time.

"Don't worry", the blond said, "I'll call some friends, they'll take care of that. Tomorrow evening they will bring the boxes. There's no problem, is it?". He looked at her in the eye.

"No, no problem at all", she smiled, "I'll be at home".

"Great. See you tomorrow, then". He kissed her goodbye on both cheeks* and left.

When (Y/N) closed the door, she stretched her arms to the ceiling.

"Yes! Finally! No more counting coins until the end of the month", she faked crying of happiness, and then she laughed due to her stupid acting.

The conversation she had with Killer made her understand him a bit better. He was just misunderstood, just as she had been. The same feeling from before grew in her chest: she was going to show everyone Killer was not as bad as they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In case anyone is curious, in Spain you greet with two kisses on the cheek. That's why Killer said goodbye that way, it's totally normal haha
> 
> Btw, do you guys also have a cricket sound? Like, when someone tells a bad joke and everyone stays silent... cri cri... Is that natural in English? Or is there a better way to portray it? I couldn't find anything on the Internet u.u


	4. Moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where MC meets Killer's friends

“Bon dia*, Marco”, (Y/N) greeted the blond man that, instead of being inside the cemetery as always, seemed to be waiting for her in front of the gates. He had a worried expression, but he changed it for a smile when he saw (Y/N).

“Bon dia”, he walked towards her hastily, “I’m so sorry for having to ask you this, but I won’t be able to come to the cemetery for a few long months… Could you please take care of Ace’s grave?”. He pulled out his wallet and gave her some notes of 5.000 pesetas*. Too many notes. (Y/N) was shocked.

“Marco, you don’t need to pay me, and that’s too much!”. She tried to return the money, but Marco shoved it back with his hand.

“This means a lot to me, more than a bunch of coloured paper, alright?”. He tried to calm her down, and (Y/N) had to accept them grudgingly.

Where could have Marco gotten so much money from? Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what he worked as, but it must be a good one if he earned that much.

“Well… It’s not like I’ll spend it all, I’ll give it back to you”, she warned him with a stern look and the man laughed, “Where are you going?”. She dared to ask out of curiosity. She noticed Marco tensed up.

“Stuff from my job… I’m sorry I can’t give you more information”, he smiled weakly, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… I don’t want you to get involved in trouble, that’s all”, (Y/N) was confused by those mysterious words, “Talking about trouble, do me a favour and don’t get involved too much with the new neighbour”. He warned her, and she could tell he spat those words with disgust. Did they know each other?

“Why?”. She wanted to ask, but Marco looked at his watch and interrupted her.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N), I have to go”, he kissed her goodbye on the cheeks, zipped his jacket up, and left, “Take care!”

“You, too!”. She waved goodbye.

In all of her years working there, that was the weirdest thing that had happened.

And that was only the beginning.

✿¸.✯══════*`*`✿✯✿*`*`══════✯.¸✿

After a long day of work, (Y/N) returned home. She didn’t even bother dressing up in her pyjamas yet, since Killer’s friends were coming to help him with the moving in.

Five minutes later, someone rang the doorbell.

“It bust be them…”. She whispered and approached the door to see through the peephole.

…

…

…

Okay, (Y/N) was tired of being judgemental, but Killer’s friends were as creepy as him.

In front of the door there were three men: a redhead with a filthy mood, a blue-haired man with dreadlocks and a melancholic expression, and a brunette so tall, she almost couldn’t even see his face through the peephole.

(Y/N) took a breath and unlocked the door. ‘If they’re Killers friends’, she thought, “they can’t be bad people…’.

She opened the door.

“Bona tarda, que sou els amics d’en Killer?*”. She tried to smile even though she stuttered a bit.

“The fuck did she say?”, the redhead whispered to the blue-haired guy, and the latter elbowed him in the gut so he would shut up.

“Good afternoon, miss”, the man with brown hair spoke, “We’re here because of Killer. He told you we were coming, right?”. He pointed to the boxes outside, and the girl blinked.

“Yeah, that’s right”. She realized they probably didn’t speak Catalan, so she used Spanish. “They must be from another place”, she thought. And, once again, she felt like shit for having doubted them. Against all odds, the three men turned out to be very kind.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything”. The red-haired guy, who introduced himself as Kid, said with a monotone voice. It seemed as if he wasn’t used to speaking so politely. It was like he was reading a sentence from a book. The dreadlock guy, Heat, gave him side glances.

Did they all have such weird names? Kid, Heat, Wire, Killer… They looked like those nicknames dangerous bands used, although she imagined they would be more powerful, like Fire Fist, Blood Phoenix, Massacre Soldier, or something like that.

Maybe she had read too many fictional stories.

✿¸.✯══════*`*`✿✯✿*`*`══════✯.¸✿

“Last one”. Wire, the tall one, muttered while placing a box in the room that was now going to be Killer’s.

“Thank you so much”, (Y/N) thanked them, “Do you want something to drink? You must be tired”. She headed for the kitchen to prepare some snacks and drinks.

“You don’t have to do that, miss”. Heat said, but the redhead got ahead of him.

“I do want something, nobody paid me to do this”. He said with a smirk, and Wire shot him a warning glance.

“Kid, your manners”. But the redhead only rolled his eyes.

(Y/N) found this funny, and she had already offered them something, so she prepared the table as a way to thank them. Wire and Heat seemed to accept reluctantly, only to be polite and because of Kid.

(Y/N) didn’t feel comfortable with silence, even more, if we were talking about the infamous awkward silences in conversations with strangers, so she started a conversation while the guys rested.

“Well, so where are you from?”. She smiled. They seemed surprised that you asked that. Or, to be precise, they were surprised you wanted to talk with them more than you needed to.

“Uhm…”, Wire spoke, looking at his mates, “I and Wire are from Castilla*; Kid’s from León*”. He pointed at them with his thumb. As (Y/N) thought, they weren’t from Catalonia.

“Wow, that’s quite a long journey, why did you decide to come? Did you also move in here like Killer?”

“No, no”, Wire said, “Not exactly. We’re here because of work, but when we’re done, we’re out”. When saying those words, his polite tone was replaced by a cheeky one, way more colloquial. He cleared his throat.

“I see”, she kept a smile on her face, feeling like she spoke better with her expressions than her words.

“Do you have more coffee?”. Kid interrupted, waving his mug in the air.

“Y-yeah, sure”, she poured him more of the brown liquid, “Killer didn’t come with you?”. She tilted her head slightly.

“He had a little problem with his boss”, Kid answered, taking the mug and bringing the warm drink to his lips, “He said he’ll be here tomorrow”, he added with a mocking smile, “Don’t stay up too late waiting for him”. He held in the laughter caused by his stupid joke.

“He didn’t say the last part”. Wire confirmed, and Kid’s chest shook up and down, holding in the laughter. Maybe they weren’t criminals, but they sure were weird.

“Well, we have to leave now”, Heat stood up, “Thank you for everything, (Y/N)”.

“Thanks to you”, the young girl replied and walked them to the door.

She closed the door and stayed there for a bit, on the threshold. She heard Kid’s voice.

“How can she be so naïve?”. He laughed.

“Shhh”, she couldn’t distinguish if it had been Wire or Heat, “She still can hear us”.

The voices died down after that.

She returned to the living room and looked at the closed boxes they have left. Let’s hope there’s not a bomb in any of them, she joked in her mind.

Although she was curious. What would Killer keep in those boxes? She guessed only clothes, maybe books, whatever… She noticed one of the boxes wasn’t closed with tape; it was open. She bit her lip.

No, she couldn’t snoop into his stuff, that wasn’t right. No matter how curious she was… Well, it was open, it’s not like she had purposely opened it. She would just approach casually and… take a peek inside. Without touching it. That wasn’t prying into anything, right?

‘Yes, it is’, she answered to herself in her mind. But even so, she took a step forward, trying to see if she could make out any object inside.

…

She saw a pocket knife.

…

Enough snooping around for today.

She walked away from the box as if she hadn’t seen anything and decided to mind her own business. There were a lot of reasons why someone would have a pocket knife. Apart from torturing and killing. No need to worry.

“Curiosity killed the cat…”. She whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bon dia = Good morning  
> Pesetas = currency used in Spain before 2002  
> Bona tarda, que sou els amics d'en Killer = Good afternoon, are you Killer's friends?


End file.
